


First Impressions

by PaperHatCollection



Category: Villainous (Cartoon)
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-14
Updated: 2017-09-14
Packaged: 2018-12-29 18:32:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12090918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaperHatCollection/pseuds/PaperHatCollection
Summary: Hat-Bot couldn't say he had been awake for very long, but he already had questions. Like, was the camera on legs capable of liking him back?





	First Impressions

The first memory Hat-Bot could access, other than data logs from before he’d gained sentience, was watching his creator finish building his body. 

The switch from  _ machine _ to being awake and…  _ thinking _ was so sudden, that for one moment Hat-Bot didn’t even realize it had happened. He jerked after about 999,998 microseconds, yanking at the cuffs keeping his body down on the metal table below him, systems frizzing out and refocusing as he realized,  _ yes _ , he was  _ alive _ .

Dr. Flug paused in his work, hands inside Hat-Bots chest. The doctor glanced back up at Hat-Bot’s face, before returning his attention to what was in front of him. Even craning his neck up, Hat-Bot couldn’t quite see what his creator was working on, nor could he feel whatever was going on in there. He must not have sensors inside their, which made sense. 

“Good morning, number 4325.” Dr. Flug said. “Or Hat-Bot, I supposed. Everything running alright? No overheating problems, stiff joints, anything?” he asked. 

Hat-Bot blinked, stretching and relaxing his fingers before he answered. He was almost surprised to discover that he had a working voice box.

“My Internal Readings State I Am 85% Complete.” Hat-Bot noted. “Why Was I Activated Before I Was Finished?”

Flug shrugged. “I suppose I wanted someone to talk to…  _ besides _ Demencia. I’d never get any work done otherwise.” He shook his head, picking up a cylinder device that sorta looked like a - “Besides, that last 15% isn't as much as you might think it is. Just a spare internal battery pack so that you don’t have to be constantly hooked up to run. Programing aside, you’re not a very….  _ Complex _ machine. Too much  _ stuff _ would be more to break when you… um, you know.” 

Right. His first objective was to act as a moving target for creators other inventions. He was small, but he’d been…  _ was _ being built to take a hit. In fact, according to his internal systems check, most of his body was made up of different kinds of stabilizers. 

 Hat-Bot let his head thunk back on the table as the battery pack was installed. That… seemed like the most important thing to instal before turning him on really. That must be what that one cord worming its way into his chest was, a power cord to keep him on. Why Flug had gone through that much trouble to turn him on first was beyond him.

His systems finally reading 100%, he waited as Flug removed the device in his chest and closed up Hat-Bot’s chest, an internal mechanism sealing Hat-Bot shut. A  moment later, the cuffs keeping him down were snapped open, and Flug stepped back to allow his creation the freedom to stand up. 

Sitting up, Hat-Bot scootied to the edge of the table and lowered himself to the floor, nearly slipping and landing smack on his face. His first steps were wobbly- partly because they hadn’t been  _ steps _ , per say, and more like  _ rolling _ . Somewhere in the wealth of information his creator had dumped into his head, Hat-Bot knew he was supposed to learn how to  _ walk _ before he learned to balance on top of wheels, and yet, Hat-Bot hadn’t been built with legs. It was… strange. 

But, getting the hang of things in a manner of 3.7 seconds, Hat-Bot straightened himself and darted around the table he’d just been on, hand automatically snapping up to hold his hat in place, even if it had been bolted on. It just felt right to do. 

Suddenly, the doors to the lab slammed open, causing Hat-Bot to jump and hide behind the machine that had likely been powering him for those five minutes he didn’t have his battery pack. He peaked out in time to see a tall, black clothed creature approach his creator.  _ Black Hat _ , his master, according to his files. 

“Ah- Black Hat Sir, I’ve just, uh, just finished the new weapon tester.” Flug said, seemingly only  _ barely _ nervous that his boss had burst in. Maybe that was normal? “The, um, the design I showed you…” Flug trailed off, fidgeting with his hands. 

While wondering if he should come out or not, Hat-Bot felt something curling around his lower half, looking down just in time to see a shadowy hand grab him and snatch him off his balance, causing him to crash to the floor before he was dragged off and into the air, dangling above his creator and master. He gave Flug a little wave. 

“ **Let’s hope this one lasts** **_longer_ ** **than the last one- 505 isn't** **_nearly_ ** **as fun to use do to that,** **_ugh_ ** **pesky immortality.** ” Black Hat growled. “ **It’s** **_so_ ** **much better when they** **_know_ ** **they can be destroyed~** ”

Hat-Bot couldn’t tell if Black Hat  _ wanted _ him to die or not. He decided he’d stay far, far away from his master when not filming commercials. 

Before he could think further on that thought, he was unceremoniously dropped on his head with a loud  _ *CLUNK*  _ while Black Hat turned on a heel and walked away, hands folded behind his back. 

“ **Prepare whatever invention we haven't used in a commercial yet, Flug.** ” Black Hat ordered over his shoulder. “ **I want to** **_test_ ** **the new addition. My office, ten minutes.** ”

Flug gave out a feeble ‘yes sir’ before his boss left, Flug finally slumping over and leaning against the table behind him, clenching his chest. Hat-Bot watched from the floor, tilting his head. He was fairly sure he understood why his creator had chosen to model him after Black Hat. 

“Alright, I think I know one he’ll like- he seemed excited to come up with all the possibilities it could lead to last time I showed him…” Flug muttered to himself, darting to one side of the lab and pulling something out of a cabinet, stuffing it in his pocket before Hat-Bot could see.

Flug clapped twice, and what Hat-Bot thought had been a camera themed hat rack stood straight, walking towards Flug and making a whirring noise before it seemed to spot Hat-Bot, focusing on him. 

Hat-Bot hurried off the floor, brushing himself off and giving a little wave to the other bot, before looking at the floor and rolling back and forth slightly. 

“Hat-Bot, Cam-Bot, follow me to Black Hat’s office.” Flug ordered, before turning and leaving the room, the two bots in tow. 

Hat-Bot spared another glance at Cam-Bot as they walked. The taller bot seemed to glide across the floor in such a way that it’s ‘head’ didn’t bob, at least not that Hat-Bot could see. He wondered if… Cam-Bot could  _ think _ like he could, or if it was just a camera designed to film from pleasing angles. Cam-Bot seemed to look at the the picture frames in the hallways they passed in smooth, rotary movements, which was either a sign of interest or more proof it was just tracking faces. 

He was so focused on Cam-Bot, he almost hadn’t realized they’d endetered Black Hat’s office. Good thing he’d stopped moving with Cam-Bot. 

“Hat-Bot.” Flug called back, pointing to a spot on the floor. Wait, when had his creator gotten next to Black Hat? “Go stand there. Um… Look professional.” he ordered. 

Hat-Bot nodded and scooted over, straightening and folding his arms behind his back, keeping his gaze directly in front of him. But out of his peripheral vision, he noticed Cam-Bot setup, a red light blinking on as it clapped a clapboard in front of it’s gaze. 

“ **Greetings Villains** .” Black Hat called out, tapping his cane on the ground and standing straighter. “ **Have you ever wanted to get** **_revenge_ ** **on your heroes with that,** ” Black Hat clenched a fist, showing off his sharp, razor sharp teeth. “ **_Special_ ** **,** **_homegrown_ ** **touch- a** **_personal_ ** **torture that you’ve spent** **_countless_ ** **hours crafting to** **_perfection_ ** **, and yet, you find yourself unable to** **_catch_ ** **your greatest rival and leave them helpless to your desires?** ” Black Hat asked. 

Flug stepped forward, holding up and gesturing to a small, palm sized device.Hat-Bot was fairly certain it looked like a yo-yo. 

“This device is designed to wrap an desired target in snares that are  _ guaranteed _ to catch even the quickest of heroes, and restrain even the toughest of foes!” Flug explained to Cam-Bot, “All you have to do is toss it in the general direction of your target-”

And here it comes- Hat-Bot remained still as he watched his creator turn towards him and chuck the device over. The contraption broke open mid air, dozens of thin metal wires reaching out and snapping around his body, tangling instantly. The force of the thin wires hitting his frame would have been enough to tear the skin of a human, and caused him to rear back on his one wheel. Attempting to correct himself caused him to over-correct and go crashing onto his face. 

“And the device will auto-target onto it’s victim, leaving them completely immobile!” Flug finished, his voice coming from somewhere above Hat-Bot. His creator must have moved closer while he was busy trying- and failing, not to fall onto the ground. 

Something small and flat- like a coin, hit the small of his back, and pinned him to the ground, as if he wasn’t tied up already. Taking the force of the hit into account, Hat-Bot reasonably assumed it was his masters cane.

“ **Of course, the device can do** **_more_ ** **than simply** **_trap_ ** **your foes- with a the flick of switch, you can choose a more…** **_shocking_ ** **method of squashing resistance. Flug, the switch,** **_now_ ** **.** ” Black Hat said, confirming Hat-Bots suspicion. He had a moment to process this information before a small  _ *click* _ followed. 

Electricity raced through his circuits, lighting up his systems like a crack of lighting as his body spasmed, systems going  _ mad _ as warning after warning popped up in his vision. The moment felt like an eternity before the jolts finally shut off, his body slumping back onto the floor. His internal clock told him he’d been electrocuted for about 10 seconds. That was  _ a lot _ of time in one of his masters videos- they’d likely edit it down to the most painful looking 5 seconds. 

“ **This, of course, is only** **_one_ ** **of the methods available to finally get that edge against your enemies you’ve been looking for- this device, and many more, will be available in my upcoming catalog!** ” Black Hat announced, signaling the commercial was coming to its end. Hat-Bot managed to peel his face (metaphorically) off the ground in time to see the red recording light on Cam-Bot shut off. The moment it had, their creator let out a sigh of relief. 

“Well, that’s  _ one _ shot Demencia didn’t mess with.” Flug muttered to himself, before tensing. “Wait- Demencia didn’t mess with- oh  _ no _ ,  _ where is she _ ?!” he yelped, running from the room in a panic. Black Hat hmmed, the cane disappearing from his back moments before he disappeared in front of Hat-Bots optics.

Hat-Bot let his face clunk back to the floor, letting his systems settle for a moment before trying to wiggle out of the tight wiring to no success. Then, a string suddenly snapped apart near his back, loosening the rest and allowing him to free himself and get back up. 

He nearly stumbled again, his sense of balance all messed up, only for Cam-Bot to catch him, nearly directly above Hat-Bot at this point. Ah, the other must have free’d him from the trap. 

He gave a smile to the other, holding his hat and moving his head as if tipping his hat to him. When he looked back up, Cam-Bot tilted his head before walking away, standing near the center of the room and watching the door. 

Now was his chance to figure out if Cam-Bot was really like him or not. His first impression made him lean towards machine, but that moment just now made him wonder if Cam-Bot could make his (or maybe its?) own decisions. 

“Hello.” he spoke up. Cam-Bot looked at him, before returning his gaze to the door. Alright, could just be reacting to noise. “I’m 4325, designated Hat-Bot… but uh, you’d know, that wouldn’t you?” he asked. 

Cam-Bot looked again, and this time kept looking, refocusing on Hat-Bot. The smaller fidgeted under the gaze, doubting at this point that Cam-Bot had a voice, at the least.

He looked around, before picking a skull off Black Hat’s desk and putting it on his head, smiling at Cam-Bot and doing a few little poses. He had no idea what he was doing. In fact, he nearly tripped and dropped the skull, scrambling to catch it before putting back on the desk, feeling embarrassed now. 

Okay, focus, there had to be a way to do this. Hat-Bot darted around Cam-Bots legs a few time, the camera trying to keep up before nearly overshooting him when he came to a standstill. Hat-Bot gave him another wave, before holding out a hand and smiling. The camera part refocused again and didn’t react. 

His shoulders slumping in defeat, Hat-Bot signed and turned away, bitter disappointment growing in his chest. Not one reaction- the other just stood there and pointed it’s lense at him, as cameras out to do. 

Something moved out of the corner of his eyes, and he looked in time to see one of Cam-Bot’s hands stop in front of him, opening and closing a few times before moving back in forth while open in what Hat- Bot realized was a wave. 

He spun around, looking back at the camera that tilted as it looked at him, Cam-Bot’s head coming from behind him to tap the top of his hat rim and cause his head to tilt forward. Hat-Bot couldn’t help but smiled as he straightened backup, pausing for one moment before reaching up to hold Cam-Bot’s hand. 


End file.
